Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Road Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,590 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Road Town
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Road Town Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Road Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Road Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,590 in Road Town.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Road Town $2,590

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,520 in Road Town.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Road Town $4,520

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $6,450 in Road Town.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Road Town $6,450

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 50% less than in Road Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Road Town is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$17.40 $17.40

-42.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$79.0 $79.0

-48.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$8.07 $8.07

5.08%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.55 $4.55

-48.13%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.61 $1.61

1.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.96 $0.96

5.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$4.08 $4.08

-40.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$1.85 $1.85

99.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.31 $2.31

-50.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$4.52 $4.52

-54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$3.06 $3.06

-57.84%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$5.02 $5.02

-54.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.63 $3.63

-22.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.27 $3.27

-43.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.04 $2.04

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$6.62 $6.62

-72.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$4.78 $4.78

-73.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.87 $3.87

-72.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$6.32 $6.32

-88.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.84 $1.84

-64.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$5.10 $5.10

-40.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$10.89 $10.89

-24.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$4.10 $4.10

-75.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.21 $1.21

9.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.4K R$117.0K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.6K R$167.6K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$134 R$666

$164 $164

-18.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.23 R$61.0

$82.4 $82.4

-85.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$124 $124

-81.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$121 $121

-73.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$19.82 $19.82

55.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$10.20 $10.20

-19.31%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$603 R$3,011

$369 $369

63.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$10.4K $10.4K

27.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$47.86 $47.86

-13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$54.2 $54.2

-7.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$129 $129

-41.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$137 $137

-50.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,654 $1,654

-45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,371 $1,371

-61.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$4,373 $4,373

-69.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$3,596 $3,596

-78.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$1,706 $1,706

-62.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Road Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Road Town

$1.4K 53% 160% $844

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Road Town

$271 * 10.5% 26.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Road Town

$371 14.3% 120% $203

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Road Town

$252 9.8% 54% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Road Town

$166 6.4% 56.8% $60

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Road Town

$16 * 0.6% 72.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Road Town

$141 5.5% 194% $93

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,654 in Road Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Road Town pays 165% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $79.0 in Road Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $271 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇬 Road Town

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

12,603 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Road Town 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Road Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rio de Janeiro vs Road Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Road Town differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,590 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Road Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,654 in Road Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $369 in Road Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $79.0 in Road Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,590 in Road Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Road Town. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Road Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Road Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.